Luke Pasqualino will play a young William Adama on Syfy's Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome
According to Entertainment Weekly, the pilot movie for Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome has made its biggest casting decision. Namely, they’ve decided who is going to play William Adama as a young man.
In an Inside TV exclusive, James Hibberd announced that Luke Pasqualino (from the U.K. series Skins) will play Adama. Ben Cotton (Hellcats, Riese) is the other lead, playing Adama’s commanding officer.
Here’s a description of the characters:
Pasqualino will star as the young, talented fighter pilot William Adama, a recent Academy graduate who finds himself assigned to the newest Battlestar in the Colonial fleet: the Galactica. Full of ambition and in pursuit of the intense action that the Cylon war promises, Adama quickly finds himself at odds with Coker (Cotton), the battle-weary officer to whom he reports. With 45 days left in his tour of duty, Coker desires an end to battle just as much as Adama craves the start of it. Though they clash at first, the two men forge an unlikely bond when a routine mission turns dangerous and becomes a pivotal one for the desperate fleet.
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome will be set during the 10th year of the first Cylon war. The show will debut with a two-hour pilot on Syfy. No date has been set.
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There are bad movies, and then there are BAD movies. This Saturday, Syfy is going to bring a whole new level of badness to science fiction monster movies with the craptastic world premiere of Mega-Python Vs. Gatoroid.
Starring two of the ’80s top pop stars — Tiffany and Debbie Gibson — this film is destined to go down in history as one of the worst.
In their most recent Syfy roles, Tiffany starred in Mega Piranha, while Gibson starred in Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus. While each of those movies was bad, it’s going to take both stars to raise (lower?) this latest Syfy original movie to a new level.
So how do two washed-up pop princesses get down and dirty in their long-awaited smackdown? Here’s a synopsis:
A production of The Asylum, “Mega Python Vs Gatoroid” takes an up-close-and-personal look at the crisis in the Florida Everglades where invasive Burmese pythons are threatening the indigenous alligator population. Gibson portrays a fanatical animal rights advocate who spends her evenings “liberating” illegally imported exotic snakes from pet stores and setting them free in the Everglades, where the pythons grow and thrive.
Tiffany plays an over-zealous park ranger worried about the growing ecological damage. To save her beloved alligators, she’s willing to employ dubious methods, overdosing them with steroids so they grow mega, setting off a war between the species – and putting her on a collision course with Gibson.
Mega Python Vs Gatoroid will premiere on Syfy Saturday, January 29, at 9/8 PM (ET/CT).
Sneak Peek
And for those who can’t wait, here is a clip from the movie:
]]>My exception to this rule are the Syfy original movies, which have made Saturday “The most dangerous night on television.” You know they’re awful. Syfy knows they’re awful. But you know what? We can’t look away.
Syfy is bringing another giant monster to the small screen this week with Behemoth.
Scientists discover a giant creature under the Earth that is wrapped around the entire planet. When the creature wakes all grumpy, it causes worldwide destruction. Starring Ed Quinn (Eureka) and William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files).
Behemoth premieres Saturday January 15th, at 9/8 PM ET/CT.
Update: Sorry, folks. Syfy removed their trailer for Behemoth.
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TNT has released some official set photos from the new Steven Spielberg science fiction drama, Falling Skies.
The new series stars Noah Wyle and Moon Bloodgood as survivors of an alien invasion. Think, War of the Worlds meets Jericho. Wyle plays a history professor who uses his knowledge of military history to lead the resistance in Boston, known as “2nd Mass.” With his wife dead and one of his sons abducted, he and his remaining two sons are trying to fight back while doing what they must to survive. Bloodgood plays as pediatrician working with surviving children. The series also stars Will Paton and Drew Roy.
Falling Skies is slated to premiere in summer 2011 on TNT.
All photos TM & © 2011 TNT. A Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
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In 1977, Steven Spielberg made us look to the skies with his science fiction classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This summer, Spielberg and DreamWorks Television are bringing a radically different alien encounter to television on TNT.
Called Falling Skies, this series is not about a friendly encounter. Just the opposite. If Close Encounters was about the wonder and mystery of a peaceful alien contact, Falling Skies is about the cataclysm and the fear of alien invaders.
Set six months after a devastating alien attack, humanity finds itself fighting for survival while trying to fight back against the alien threat. The series focuses on the resilience of those who survive, and how they overcome insurmountable odds against an invading force. Think, War of the Worlds meets Jericho.
Starring in the series is Noah Wyle (television’s ER) as Tom Mason, a history professor who must use his knowledge of military history to lead the rebellion in Boston. Mason has seen his wife die and one of his sons get abducted by the aliens. Now, with his two remaining sons, he must find a weakness in the alien force while struggling to rebuild his community.
Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation) plays Anne Glass, a pediatrician working with the surviving children, helping them to cope with their war-ravaged existence. Will Patton (Armageddon, TNT’s Into the West) is Weaver, a fierce leader of the resistance.
The series also stars Drew Roy, Maxim Knight, Connor Jessup, Seychelle Gabriel, Mpho Koaho, Peter Shinkoda, Colin Cunningham and Sarah Carter.
The aliens in the series are created by combining live action and special visual effects.
Falling Skies is executive-produced by Spielberg, along with DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, Graham Yost and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Rodat, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan, wrote the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg. Mark Verheiden and Greg Beeman are co-executive producers. The pilot was directed by Carl Franklin.
Falling Skies is slated to premiere in summer 2011 on TNT.
Watch the Trailer for Falling Skies
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Back in 1996, NBC launched a new science fiction television show that set the story of UFOs and alien conspiracy where it began — in the past. Now, after more than a decade, Dark Skies is available on DVD.
In this groundbreaking series, drama dovetailed with historical record in a story that blurred the line between fantasy and reality.
Dark Skies tells the story of John Loengard (Eric Close), a young congressional aide on Capitol Hill during the Kennedy administration. When Loengard begins investigating the Air Force’s Project Blue Book (the official team that investigated UFO sightings for the military), he stumbles across a top-secret organization called Majestic that has been fighting a secret war since the UFO incident at Roswell.
Together with his fiancee Kimberly Sayers (Megan Ward), Loengard goes on the run from Majestic and the alien threat that seeks to undermine humanity.
Dark Skies is top-notch science fiction. It tells a solid story that, aside from having something new to accomplish each week, also has an overarching theme that gets more complex as the series continues.
With its rich 1960s setting and costumes, one might think of Dark Skies as a Mad Men-styled science fiction drama. But Dark Skies has more in common with the film Forrest Gump, which wove a fictional character with historical events. And it’s interesting how easily the UFO mythology is woven into history so seamlessly.
In the first episode, “The Awakening,” Loengard interviews Betty and Barney Hill, a New Hampshire couple whose 1961 encounter with aliens is one of the first abduction stories. In the episode “Moving Targets,” Loengard meets up with former Major Jesse Marcel, one of the most outspoken voices about what really happened at Roswell in 1947.
Now on DVD, Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series is a wonderful return to this exciting and groundbreaking series. The story is still interesting and compelling. Even the special effects are — for the most part — still believable. The only thing disappointing about this set is that it reminds us that even the best storytelling doesn’t always survive the television network axe.
In addition to the complete 20 episode series on five disks, Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series DVD includes a sixth disk with numerous bonus features:
- International pilot
- Cast & creator commentaries
- “Signal To Noise: Uncovering Dark Skies” — A 3-part intimate look back with creators Bryce Zabel & Brent V. Friedman and stars Eric Close & Megan Ward
- Network promos
- The Dark Skies Glossary
- Original sales presentation
- EPK (Electronic Press Kit)
- Never-before-seen Season Two proposal
Matt Smith (right) as The Doctor, introduces Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon) and a frozen beauty (Katherine Jenkins) to the meaning of Christmas in Doctor Who "A Christmas Carol." ©2010 BBC
Christmas specials are one of my favorite parts of the season. Whether it’s a holiday special about Santa’s favorite reindeer or a holiday-themed episode of my favorite television show, I love seeing a feel-good Christmas story. As a fan of Doctor Who, I’m especially fond of how the time-traveler celebrates Christmas.
And when The Doctor (Matt Smith) celebrates Christmas, he does it right. In the aptly named “A Christmas Carol,” the Doctor serves up a Dickens-inspired holiday story.
The tale begins with a crashing space liner on which the Doctor’s companions, Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), are trapped. To save the space liner, the Doctor must convince Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon) to use the spire to open up the clouds and allow the ship to land.
You can see where this is going, can’t you? The miserly Scrooge character must be shown the true meaning of Christmas. And without any ghosts readily available, the Doctor improvises in the way he knows best. He travels into the past and teaches a young Kazran about love and self-sacrifice.
At its best, Doctor Who tells emotionally packed stories that transcend sci-fi. In fact, many have pointed out that Doctor Who may better be described as a fairy tale. And in his current incarnation, that is certainly true. The fantasy quality of the series comes through here, as the Doctor helps an evil king find kindness in his heart by rescuing a sleeping beauty.
The “sleeping beauty” in this tale is Abigail Pettigrew (played by Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins). Frozen as “security” for her family’s debt to Kazran’s father, Abigail is released by the Doctor and introduced to a young Kazran, who is instantly smitten. So they promise Abigail to visit her every Christmas Eve.
All seems to be going well, as we see the old Kazran looking through photos and reliving “new” memories he never had before. But after several years Abigail reveals a secret to Kazran, now a young man, who then locks her away forever.
While there are a few crazy moments in the story (including a “one-shark open sleigh”), “A Christmas Carol” tells a wonderful holiday story that is filled with emotion. This may be one of the best Christmas specials I’ve seen from a television series.
Beginning with David Tennant’s first appearance in “The Christmas Invasion” (2005), the Doctor’s Christmas specials have become something of a tradition in the UK. But for Doctor Who fans in the United States, Christmas has always come late. We have had to wait until spring — or later — to view these episodes (which often had little to do with the holiday itself). This year, however, BBC America aired the first simulcast for a Doctor Who Christmas special.
This effort to bring Doctor Who to America in time for Christmas has given fans on two continents reason to celebrate. Let’s hope it’s the start of a new holiday tradition.
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Some 30 years ago, I watched in fascination as TRON turned my world upside-down. In retrospect, the story of TRON was probably partially responsible for my interest in computers and programming. But ultimately, it was the stunning computer-generated special effects that really blew me away. For the first time, I was inside a video game — seeing reality from the other side of the screen.
Already a science fiction fan and lover of video games (yes, I played Asteroids when it first came to my local pizza parlor), seeing TRON introduced me to another side of computers. The story, filled with floating bits and I/O towers, seems almost archaic today. But it’s still a pretty good story. Having watched it again this week, I decided it is more than a guilty pleasure. It’s a fun movie, even if the visuals are dated by today’s standards.
Enter TRON: Legacy. Just as 30 years has improved our computer-generated graphics, it also changed the landscape of the world Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) created in the original film.
According the back story told in the first few minutes of the film, Flynn was at the height of his success when he disappeared fifteen years ago. His son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), is now in charge of his father’s company. Though Sam prefers to be a silent owner, protesting the board’s corporate greed.
When Sam goes to his father’s old office to find the source of a mysterious phone call, he is swept away to the fabled “grid” his father often spoke of in his bedtime stories. No longer a place for free information, the grid has become a closed system under the fascist regime of Clu (also played by Bridges). Clu was programmed by Flynn to create a perfect system. Under his totalitarian rule and his warped idea of perfection, the grid has become a model of order where any program considered imperfect is either “repurposed” or sent to the games.
This is where Sam finds himself when he arrives in the grid, without any identity disk. He is quickly ushered through preparation, where his only training is advice to “survive.” He then finds himself competing in a disc battle, followed closely by a race to the death on light cycles.
A recognizer floats over the grid in TRON: Legacy. ©2010 Disney Pictures.
After a timely rescue by Quorra (Olivia Wilde), Sam’s reunited with his father. The homecoming is filled with tension, however, as the elder Flynn disagrees with Sam about the best way to free the system and keep Clu from gaining access to our world.
As someone who has been down on 3D films after last year’s stunning Avatar, I didn’t really think I wanted to see this film in 3D. But seeing TRON: Legacy in IMAX 3D was like going through the looking glass. Like watching Dorothy go from black and white to color in The Wizard of Oz, the transformation from Sam’s 2D world to the 3D world of the grid is amazing. Coupled with the stunning update in computer-generated graphics, the TRON universe has never been more beautiful or surreal.
The film also boasts a soundtrack with a score by Daft Punk. I am partial to Wendy Carlos’ 1982 score that featured the digital synthesizers, and miss that original sound. I understand that may be more fueled by nostalgia than an appreciation of good music, but a nod to Carlos’ inventive score would have been nice.
While the special effects of TRON: Legacy beat the heck out of the original, the story is more simplistic. In 1982, the original film seemed to speak a different language. Maybe it’s a byproduct of the Information Age, but the grid now seems more like a video game than another world. Sure, it’s still filled with “programs” who inhabit it the way people inhabit our world, but little is made of the computer-ness of that universe.
For all its nods to the original — and there are quite a few — TRON: Legacy ultimately feels more like a new version of The Matrix, with a philosophical undertone that pushes audiences to examine their reality in a digital age.
Even so, it’s a fun film to watch and a worth successor to the original.
Rated 
for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language
127 minutes
FilmGuru’s Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Doctor Who comes to BBC AMERICA this Christmas Day at 9:00 p.m. EST with a festive Dickens-inspired adventure, “A Christmas Carol.” See Michael Gambon as a Scrooge-like character and… well, just watch. It will give you goosebumps.
]]>Newlyweds Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are joined by Harry Potter’s Michael Gambon and opera diva Katherine Jenkins, for what may be “the Doctor’s most Christmassy adventure yet.”
Lead Writer and Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, commented on the upcoming special: “Oh, we’re going for broke with this one. It’s all your favorite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. And … oh, you’ll see. I’ve honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbors loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I’m fairly sure they did it ironically.”
Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, added: “Doctor Who has become a key part of the BBC AMERICA schedule, and having the opportunity to air A Christmas Carol on Christmas Day is like receiving our very own holiday gift. The Timelord may travel through time and space, but he’s certainly found a home at BBC AMERICA.”
In the run up to “A Christmas Carol” on Christmas Day, BBC AMERICA will be running a marathon of the series, beginning at midnight on December 24 and leading up to this year’s special. The marathon includes previous Christmas specials and a selection of favorite Doctor Who episodes from recent seasons.
Christmas Day will also see the premiere the Doctor Who Prom, a live concert featuring stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as hosts. The Doctor Who Prom was filmed earlier this year at the world renowned Royal Albert Hall and features appearances from the Weeping Angels, Daleks and the TARDIS. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who record the soundtrack for the series, present a selection of intergalactic music – including Murray Gold’s music from the TV show, plus a selection of classical favorites.
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